Dr Wells Saves A Kitty
by DittyWrites
Summary: Tumblr prompt - Harrison Wells saves a kitten from the gutter.
1. Dr Wells Saves A Kitty

Harrison Wells was not having a good day. His entire morning and afternoon had been spent helping to clean up STAR Labs after one of Cisco's experiments had set off the sprinkler system and thoroughly soaked the entire lab. Then, after discovering from Gideon that Mercury Labs had developed a new piece of tech which could be of use to him, he had suited up in his Reverse Flash costume and headed over to 'acquire' it. It had been a disaster of an attempt. The item he needed had been shipped off to an undisclosed location the previous day and he couldn't find a trace of it in their systems. Even worse, on his journey back to STAR Labs his speed had begun to act up and he had been forced to divert into a dark alleyway to allow it to recharge.

He pulled his headpiece off, ran his hands through his already messed-up hair and sighed softly. He was not having a good day and all he wanted was to return to his house, open up a bottle of very expensive whiskey and relax. He was musing on this idea when he heard it. There was a small mewling noise coming from the gutter in front of him and he stepped forward to investigate the small ball which was emitting the noise.

Wells picked up the ball by the scruff of its neck and examined it closely. It was a black kitten, kind of dirty and obviously abandoned as it had no collar. He placed it back on the ground and watched as it immediately began to start shivering. Wells sighed deeply as he scooped it back into his hands and vibrated them strongly enough to generate some heat for the little thing. It began purring instantly and he couldn't help but give it a quick pet behind the ear.

He placed it gently back on ground and leaned against the alley wall. He had to get back to STAR Labs, change his outfit and also work out some way to strangle his AI for giving him out-of-date information. He was pulled from his fantasy by the kitten attacking his shoelaces. He watched it for a few minutes until it finally managed to undo the laces on his right shoe.

"The Reverse Flash finally vanquished by a tiny kitty. Shoo now." He nudged it with his other foot and he swore the kitten looked up to glare at him before sliding down into a pouncing position and launched itself at his leg, digging it's claws into his left calf. Wells hissed and snatched the kitten up to eye level again. He growled at it and received a small growl in kind.

He smiled despite himself. The little thing had spirit and he could appreciate that. "Maybe STAR Labs could do with a new mascot." He cupped the kitten close to his chest and disappeared into the night, leaving a trail of red lightning as he went.


	2. Meeting The Team

It was Cisco who first discovered the cat in STAR Labs. He had been down in the pipeline checking on one of the containment cells when he felt something latch onto the back of his arm. Naturally assuming he had been attacked by an escaped meta-human he screamed to high heavens and spun around. The weight disappeared as he saw a small black thing drop to the floor a few feet away. It took him about thirty seconds to realise that the item was a kitten and he was instantly filled with guilt. "Aww man." He thought. "I just launched a damn kitten. I am the worst kind of human." His heart was still racing like crazy as he moved towards the animal.

"Chh chh chh" He mouthed at the cat and lay down while extending his hand in a petting motion. The cat glared at him suspiciously before inching towards the extended limb. Cisco heard footsteps running up behind him just as the kitten reached his hand.

"CISCO!" Caitlin cried as she saw him lying on the floor. "WHAT HAPPENED?" She stopped suddenly as she took in the black kitten which was now sitting comfortably in Cisco's palm. "Is that a cat?" She asked confused.

"Yeah." He replied before confessing sheepishly "It attacked me and I kinda panicked and screamed a little." He stood up with the cat in one palm and with his other hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Caitlin couldn't keep her laughed in any longer. It exploded out of her as she took in Cisco's still mildy-shocked appearance and the tiny kitty he was holding. "Aww Cisco i'm s-sorry." She stuttered as she laughed. "That's just too good. Whose cat is it anyway?"

Cisco looked thoughtful and replied, "I have absolutely no idea. We should take him upstairs into the main lab and see if Dr Wells or Barry know." Caitlin nodded in response and the two left.

Dr Wells and Barry were in the middle of discussing new ways in which to keep their pipelined meta-humans occupied when Cisco and Caitlin appeared.

"I'm not totally against the ide- Is that a cat?" Barry cut himself off as he spotted the duo and their tiny companion. He dashed over and began to pet its little head. Barry loved animals and he would take any opportunity to pet one since his life was a bit too hectic to keep one as a pet.

"I take it he's not your cat then Barry?" Cisco asked. "We found him hiding in the pipeline and then he attacked me."

"He did not attack you Cisco." Wells interrupted. "That's just his way of saying hello. Barry. Caitlin. Cisco. I'd like to introduce you to Tesla. The latest addition to STAR Labs." He smirked and extended his hands to Cisco who deposited the kitten gently into them.

Wells immediately began to pet the kitten as the three others gave him a surprised look. "What?" he said defensively. "I like cats."

Caitlin stifled a smile behind her hand while Barry said, "Uhh, it's just weird. You just don't seem like a real animal person."

"I am human." Wells replied wryly. "Plus I appreciate the independence of cats. They are spirited little creatures and this one has a surplus of that particular feature." Wells nodded down to the cat which was now trying to rip one of the buttons off his black shirt.

"Tesla then. It's a nice name." Caitlin smiled and bent down to have her first stroke of the little hellion. "Welcome to 'Team Flash' little Tesla"


	3. Kitty Got Claws

This was a disaster. Team Flash had spent the last week attempting to track down a meta-human named Derek Livingstone. He had successfully robbed at least three different banks across Central City in the last month, murdering four people in the process, and Barry and the rest of the STAR Labs crew had been forced to get involved when the man had shown he had the ability to manipulate fire. Things had gone from bad to worse when Barry had been forced to leave Central City. Oliver Queen had called and told Barry he needed immediate help and since Oliver Queen was not known for being the desperate type, Barry had left as quickly as possible after the rest of the team had convinced him that they could track down Livingstone alone.

Things had gone from worse to disaster when Mr Livingstone decided to become proactive and attack STAR Labs itself after realising they were helping out the Central City Police. Somehow he had managed to create a fire strong enough to melt through the outside barrier and was now facing down the three scientists with a gun in hand. "Don't know why people like you are even getting involved?" He said aggressively. "This is a police matter. No need for fancy scientists to be getting into my business." He had the gun aimed at Cisco, having decided that he was a bigger threat than the woman or the man in the wheelchair.

Caitlin had managed to send an emergency text to Barry before Livingstone had cornered them and she was praying that he finished his work in Starling City as quickly as possible. Or that he checked his damn text messages. The man in front of them was clearly a little unstable.

"Mr Livingstone." Wells spoke smoothly. "STAR Labs occasionally help the police out on cases which they feel unable to deal with." He gave Livingstone a poignant look. "Such as dealing with a man who can manipulate and control fire."

Livingstone smirked at Wells and said "I'm the future. With this kind of power I can do pretty much anything I want to." He cocked the gun and moved slightly closer to the three.

From nowhere, a small black blur shot at Livingstones' legs and began to frantically claw at them. Tesla had chosen to enter the fray. Livingstone made an angry noise in his throat and, while keeping his gun trained on Cisco, used his free hand to snatch the cat off his leg and launch it to the side. The small cat collided with the wall with a soft smacking noise and fell to the floor.

Caitlin let out a noise which sounded suspiciously like a sob while Cisco made a noise of pure outrage. Wells snarled at the man. He was livid. He might have been a man of few morals, and he had a few skeletons in his closet to prove that fact, but violence towards children or animals was always wrong. He started forward in his chair but hesitated when Livingstone turned the gun on him and spoke, "Chill out wheels. Or a possibly dead cat will be the least of your problems."

Wells hissed savagely while Caitlin developed a look of murderous violence. Cisco looked close to tears. Wells wanted to hurt this man. Badly. Not only for harming the innocent kitten but also for daring to threaten some of the only people he felt any true affection for. He bitterly regretted not being able to use his powers. He could literally kill this man before anyone realised what happened but that wasn't really an option while Cisco and Caitlin were here. Too many questions would be asked and he couldn't risk having his identity revealed. He was still vaguely considering the idea when a burst of wind took them all by surprise.

Barry had arrived.

Taking in the situation faster than humanely possible, he dashed forward and snatched the gun from Livingstone before placing him in handcuffs. Barry stood in front of him for a moment to allow him to get his bearings while Caitlin dashed towards the side wall. Barry opened his mouth to ask what she was doing when Livingstone slammed to the floor unconscious. Standing behind him with a thin metal baton was Wells, sporting a satisfied smirk on his face which was tinged with anger. He dropped the baton next to the man before quickly making his way over to Caitlin.

"Did I miss something?" Barry asked slightly confused. "Why are you all over at the wall?" He walked over himself and felt his stomach drop when he saw Caitlin holding the tiny cat. He swallowed and asked "Is she de-"

"No!" Caitlin replied quickly and Barry could hear the relief in her quivering voice. "She's okay. Just knocked out I think." She cradled the cat as she stood up. "I'm still going to run some tests on her in the lab to make sure she's okay. Do you want to join me Dr Wells?"

Wells held his hands out and Caitlin gently placed the kitten in his lap. He wrapped her up in the bottom of his untucked shirt before speaking softly. "Cisco will you fill Barry in on what happened and see that our guest here is set up in one of our least comfortable cells?" Cisco looked at Wells for a second before nodding and gesturing to Barry to help him move the unconscious body.

"Hot damn Dr Wells. You knocked him clean out. Wait...where did you even get a baton?" Cisco looked slightly confused while Dr Wells smiled politely at him and indicated to his wheelchair.

"You'd be surprised at the amount of weapons you can hide on the average wheelchair." He looked at Caitlin and indicated the side lab and the pair disappeared into it to run a quick check-up on Tesla to make sure there was no real damage. Cisco looked wistfully at the retreating figure.

"Who knew Dr Wells was a secret badass."


End file.
